Len Boone facts for kids

Len Boone (also known as Leonard Boone C Coleman II) is an American musician. He is a talented singer, songwriter, and plays many instruments. Len Boone wrote songs for record companies like Chrysalis Records and Love-Zager Productions. Many of his songs became popular and appeared on the Billboard music charts.

One of his most famous songs is “You Made Me Believe in Magic”. He wrote this international hit for the Scottish pop band, the Bay City Rollers, while he was still an intern at Chrysalis. In 1977, the song became very popular. It reached number 10 on the US Hot 100 chart in Billboard magazine. In Canada, it went even higher, peaking at number 5. The song was also a hit in Germany, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. For this song, Boone received an award from ASCAP, which is a group that supports musicians and writers.

Growing Up and Early Life

Len Boone grew up in Fieldsboro, New Jersey. He went to Bordentown Regional High School. He was a great athlete in high school, playing both track and football. Local newspapers often wrote about his sports achievements.

While in high school, Boone started learning to play the drums. He joined a music group called Inturnal Revenue. He continued to play and write music with this band even when he was in college. Inturnal Revenue became popular locally. They recorded an original song called “Love Theme For,” which was played on the radio by a DJ named Len Murray at WTTM radio in New Jersey. Later in college, he led another band called Piecemeal. This was a four-person group where he played piano and drums, and also wrote songs.

Boone attended Rutgers University. He studied political science and history there. He also played football for the Rutgers team, the Scarlet Knights. He played as a cornerback and defensive halfback. Newspapers often reported on his success in football. In 1972, he won the George T. Cronin Trophy for being the most improved player. As a student, he cared a lot about kids in cities who didn't have many opportunities. He worked to get Rutgers to join the Urban Classic Benefit game. This game helped raise money for young people who needed it.

After college, Boone worked as a substitute teacher at Franklin High School in New Jersey. He even had offers to teach history full-time. He also played rugby with a team of Rutgers alumni called "The Old Boys." He coached the new women's rugby team at Rutgers too. However, his main dream was to work in the music business.

Music Career Highlights

In 1975, Len Boone's musical talent was noticed by Wes Ferrell. He was hired as an intern songwriter for the Wes Ferrell organization. One year later, he signed a contract with Chrysalis Music Inc. This company was led by Marv Goodman. While he was an intern, Boone wrote the worldwide hit song “You Made Me Believe in Magic” for the Bay City Rollers. Around the same time, he also wrote the song “You Got To Me” for Maxine Nightingale.

In 1977, because of his success, Boone signed a special recording contract with Chrysalis Records. That same year, he wrote “You’re the One” for Rory Block. This song reached number 77 on the US Billboard dance charts.

In 1978, Boone's song “Love Won’t Be Denied” was on the Billboard Dance Club Song charts for 10 weeks. It reached number 20 on September 9, 1978.

In 1980, after four years with Chrysalis, Boone joined Love-Zager Productions as a staff writer. He worked with another songwriter named Larry LaFalce on several songs. That same year, Boone and LaFalce wrote “Everything and More” for the Italian/U.S. music group Change. This song was on their album Sharing Your Love. The album reached number 66 on the US Billboard Album Chart and number 14 on the U.S. Billboard Black Albums chart.

In 1983, Boone and LaFalce wrote two more songs for Change: “This is Your Time” and “Magical Night.” These songs were on Change's album This is Your Time. The album reached number 161 on the US Billboard Albums chart and number 34 on the US Billboard Black Albums chart. Their song “This is Your Time” reached number 39 on the US dance charts and number 33 on the US R&B charts.

In 1995, the song "You Made Me Believe in Magic" was covered by Bed & Breakfast. This was a boy band from Hamburg, Germany.

In 2013, Boone released an EP (which is like a mini-album) called Do Whatcha Feel with Fervor Records.

Today, Len Boone owns his own music company called Rock Your Socks Music. It is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Songs in TV Shows and Movies

Len Boone's songs have been featured in many TV shows and movies.

His famous song “You Made Me Believe in Magic” was played in season 2, episode 7 of the TV show October Road (from ABC Studios).

His song “Do Whatcha Feel” has been used in several shows:

• Season 1, episode 6 of The Mayor (ABC)
• Season 5, episode 20 of Haven (Syfy, Showcase)
• Season 1, episode 5 of Red Oaks (Amazon Studios)
• Season 1, episode 6 of Bojack Horseman (Netflix)
• The independent film Love After Love (2017)

Another one of his songs, “Another Lonely Night,” was played in the independent films My Friend Dahmer (2017) and Humor Me (2017).

His song “I’ve Got to Have You,” performed by Julian, was used in season 1, episode 4 of Insatiable (Netflix).